Princess Daenora Targaryen was only two years old when her mother, Queen Aemma Arryn, died bringing Prince Baelon into the world. Too young to remember the woman who gave her life, Daenora was instead raised by Queen Alicent Hightower, whom she has...
(This timeline will make no sense, just as the HOTD timeline makes no sense)
In the closing months of 102 AC, Princess Aemma Arryn brought joyful news to her husband, Prince Viserys Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone. She was with child once more. The realm rejoiced alongside them. Viserys had only recently been declared heir to the Iron Throne, and many believed the gods would now bless him with the son he so desperately desired.
The court whispered of a prince before the babe had even quickened. Seamstresses embroidered little dragons upon swaddling cloths of crimson and gold, and scribes prepared letters announcing the birth of the future heir.
Only two months after Viserys ascended the Iron Throne as King Viserys I Targaryen, a grand celebration was held in anticipation of his son's arrival, yet the gods are seldom moved by the hopes of men. A week after the feast, Queen Aemma went into labor.
The child survived, healthy and strong—but she was no prince. The carefully prepared letters proclaiming the birth of a prince were hastily altered, an "s" squeezed into the parchment by weary hands so they instead announced the birth of a princess. Thus, on the third day of the fourth moon of 103 AC, Princess Daenora Targaryen was born.
Though disappointed that his long-awaited son had not come, King Viserys could not hide his delight as he cradled his youngest daughter. The babe possessed wisps of pale silver hair and curious violet eyes that reminded him so painfully of her mother that he found himself unable to look away, she was a healthy beautiful girl, who showed great progress at how strong she was straight out of the womb.
As was Targaryen custom, a dragon's egg was placed beside her in her cradle. Barely a month later, the egg cracked beneath the warmth of the nursery hearth. A small black she-dragon emerged into the world, she was named Morghula, a feminine form of the High Valyrian word morghul—death. Many would later say the dragon's name had been an omen. For death came swiftly.
In 105 AC, tragedy struck the royal family, Queen Aemma Arryn died bringing Prince Baelon into the world. The infant survived only a single day. The realm mourned its beloved queen. Princess Daenora was scarcely two years of age.
In the months that followed, servants often spoke of the little princess wandering the halls of the Red Keep clutching a worn cloth doll. Sometimes she would toddle toward her mother's empty chambers. Other times she would ask, in the innocent voice only a child possesses, "Where is Mama?" She was too young to understand death, too young to remember much.
As the years passed, her memories of Queen Aemma faded into little more than fragments—a faint scent of lavender, soft silver hair brushing against her cheek, gentle hands rocking her to sleep, and the echo of a lullaby she could never quite remember. Everything else she learned of her mother came from stories.
The Red Keep, however, does not remain empty for long. In 106 AC, King Viserys took Lady Alicent Hightower as his new queen. Many wondered how the grieving little princess would react to another woman occupying the queen's apartments.
At first, Daenora wanted nothing to do with her, she cried through the nights, she refused to leave the chambers that had once belonged to Queen Aemma. No nurse could soothe her for long, then, quietly, without ceremony, Alicent began spending her evenings with the child.
She read stories beside her bed, brushed the little princess's silver hair until it shone, prayed with her, held her whenever tears came, never asking the child to stop crying before she was ready. Days became weeks, weeks became months. One afternoon, while reaching for the queen's hand, Daenora looked up and spoke a single word, "Mother?" The room fell silent, Alicent froze. For a heartbeat, she said nothing, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Then she knelt before the little girl, gathered her gently into her arms, and whispered, "Yes, sweetheart." She never corrected her, nor did Daenora ever call her anything else again.
From that day onward, Queen Alicent became Daenora's mother in every way except blood. She taught her to read before most noble children could hold a book. She instructed her in embroidery, history, diplomacy, courtly manners, and the Faith of the Seven. From Alicent, Daenora learned duty, restraint, and quiet strength. From the mother she barely remembered, she inherited warmth, gentleness, and grace. She became, in time, a daughter of both queens.
_______ If Alicent became Daenora's mother, then Princess Rhaenyra became something far more difficult to define. Rhaenyra remembered Queen Aemma. She remembered every smile, every embrace, every story, and she loved her little sister fiercely, for Daenora was the last living piece of their mother left behind, yet grief is a strange thing.
Each time Rhaenyra looked upon the child, she saw the mother she had lost. Each time Daenora reached for Alicent instead of Aemma, another invisible thread between the sisters seemed to fray. Rhaenyra was often away—at lessons, at court, upon dragonback—and the moments she might have spent with Daenora slipped through her fingers one by one. No harsh words passed between them. No great quarrel divided them. Instead, distance settled quietly where closeness might have grown.
By the time Daenora was old enough to understand the world around her, Alicent was the woman she ran to after nightmares, the one who mended scraped knees, braided her hair, and kissed her forehead goodnight. Queen Aemma had given her life, Queen Alicent had raised it. As more royal children were born—Prince Aegon, Princess Helaena, and Prince Aemond—Daenora never thought of them as half-siblings. They were simply her brothers and sister.
To Aegon, she was the older sister who indulged his antics yet corrected him when he crossed the line. To Helaena, she became a constant companion. To Aemond, she was a comforting presence who listened when few others did, encouraging his fascination with dragons and history long before the realm recognized his keen mind. She belonged to both sides of the royal family without ever truly belonging to either.
She was a daughter of Aemma Arryn by blood, a daughter of Alicent Hightower by love, a sister to Rhaenyra, a sister to the Greens.
____
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Emilia Clarke as Daenora Targaryen (Milly Alcock as Y/Daenora)
Other cast: Amanda Hale as Marguerite 'Maggie' Hightower (Emily Carey as Y/ Marguerite)
